Editor's Summary
10 May 2007
Magnifying the errors
The modern fluorescence microscope is a complicated bit of kit. Too complicated for some users, perhaps, since according to many specialists, what you see in the journals is frequently not what the legend says it is. Potential pitfalls include the wrong type of coverslip and incompatible fluorescence tags. What's to be done? Ideas aired in Helen Pearson's report on the subject include specialist microscopy facilities, better training and — you guessed it — the journals could do more to help.
News Feature: The good, the bad and the ugly
Imaging fluorescent molecules in live cells is revolutionizing cell biology. But a pretty image is not necessarily a good one, and many biologists are learning this the hard way, finds Helen Pearson.
doi:10.1038/447138a